2025 Vault Rankings
At a Glance
“Remote flexibility.”
“Positive working environment.”
“The workload can be overwhelming at times—distribution and management are not always equitable.”
“The work does not let up. Hard to take time off.”
About Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
Among the New York elite, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP has defined itself as the go-to firm for hedge fund and similar clients. This practice focus translates into double-digit profits and aggressive increases during boom years, and the firm has grown organically over the years.
Hedging Their Niche
Schulte was founded in 1969 by a group of young BigLaw associates—most from Cleary and Fried Frank—who wanted to escape the traditional BigLaw model. The firm found its place by working in areas, such as trusts and estates and the burgeoning field of hedge fund law, that were mostly ignored by large firms. Soon, the firm was attracting clients like the Rockefeller and Lehman families. Bill Zabel—who had written the winning brief in the landmark Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia on behalf of the ACLU—focused on estate and tax planning and is still the head of the firm’s Individual Client Services Group today.
Financial Services Focus
Schulte Roth & Zabel today primarily advises clients in the financial services industry with a particular emphasis on representing investment management firms. Relatively narrow in practice scope by BigLaw standards, Schulte specializes in investment management, corporate and transactional matters, and securities litigation—most notably—by providing a one-stop shop for all the legal needs of hedge and private equity funds (of which it has counted hundreds as clients over the years). The firm has also enjoyed success in its regulatory and compliance, shareholder activism, and litigation practice areas. Make no mistake—the corporate and securities work still drives the firm, which is evident from the many investment banks, hedge and private equity funds, banks, broker-dealers, investment advisers, venture capitalists, and pension funds the firm counts among its clients.
Schulte represents a high percentage of the brand names in the funds industry, including private equity firm Cerberus—a client since 1990—and investment firms such as Blackstone and Centerbridge. Both Schulte’s New York headquarters and its London office have been recognized for their investment management work. The U.K. office was founded largely because of the sharp uptick in European hedge fund activity, and more recently, the DC office was established to provide litigation and securities regulatory capability.
They’re Listening
Schulte respects its associates’ opinions, and it shows it in a big way—the Associate Committee holds a “listening tour” each year through which committee members speak with each associate in the firm to understand the broad needs of the firm’s talent. The firm also created a new mentoring program—as a result of associate feedback—which allows associates and special counsel to select a network of mentors and create a budget for mentoring activities.
News & Awards
- Represented Engine No. 1 in the largest activist campaign in history, which resulted in the election of three directors to Exxon Mobil’s board of directors
- Advised Avala Global on the formation of its alternative asset management business and the launch of its crossover fund complex. Avala Global was founded by Divya Nettimi and the launch was one of the largest of a woman-led firm in the hedge fund industry.
- Represented Politan Capital Management in its dispute with Masimo Corporation, one of the most important activist litigation precedents that, if lost, could have eliminated shareholder activism as an asset class. The case centered around Masimo’s adoption of preclusive advance notice bylaws that made it virtually impossible for investment funds to nominate candidates for Masimo’s Board.
- Serving as co-counsel in the ongoing representation of the last two known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. This most recently included oral arguments before the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which will determine whether the survivors can proceed with their lawsuit seeking justice for one of the worst racial incidents in US history.
- Financial Times Innovative Lawyers North America finalist for representing Politan Capital Management in its groundbreaking win over Masimo Corporation
- Ranked the #1 legal adviser in the 2023 London Stock Exchange Group’s Global Shareholder Activism Review
- HFM Service Awards:
- Named “Best Law Firm - Client Service” at the With Intelligence HFM European Services Awards 2023
- Named “Best Law Firm — Alternative Credit” at the With Intelligence HFM US Services Awards 2023
- New York Law Journal Professional Excellence Awards – Paul Roth, Lifetime Achievement and Randall Adams, Rising Star
- Leonora Shalet selected by The Hedge Fund Journal as one of the 50 Leading Women in Hedge Funds
919 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Phone: (212) 756-2000
Co-Managing Partners: David J. Efron & Marc E. Elovitz
Hiring Partners: Kara Kuchar, Julian Wise and Sean Brownridge
Total No. Attorneys (2023):
250 - 500
No. of Partners Named 2023:
8
Billable-Hour Requirement:
2,000
1st year: $225,000
2nd year: $235,000
3rd year: $260,000
4th year: $310,000
5th year: $365,000
6th year: $390,000
7th year: $420,000
8th year: $435,000
Summer Associate: $4,326.92/week
Christina Henry
Recruiting Director
(212) 610-7213
christina.henry@srz.com
General Recruiting Email: recruiting@srz.com
No. of U.S. Offices: 2
No. of International Offices: 1
New York, NY (HQ)
Washington, DC |
London
Bank Regulatory
Blockchain Technology & Digital Assets
Broker-Dealer Regulatory & Enforcement
Business Reorganization
Cybersecurity & Data Privacy
Distressed Investing
Employment & Employee Benefits
Finance & Derivatives
Hedge Funds
Individual Client Services
Intellectual Property
Investment Management
Litigation
Litigation Finance
M&A and Securities
Private Equity
Regulatory & Compliance
SEC Enforcement and White Collar Defense
Shareholder Activism
Tax
*See firm website for complete list of practice areas and industries.